Chapter Three
“Little shithead.” Roxanne seethed, gripping the phone so tight it nearly slipped from her grasp. Her hand practically shook as she stared at the wall, trying to rein in her anger.
By the second ring, she knew it would go straight to voicemail. Again. It’d been an ongoing occurrence for the past three days. This is what I get for being a good person.
“It’s Cord, leave a message.”
She released a sinister growl, and her entire body tensed. “Cord, it’s Roxanne Barrett. Again. This is the fourth message I’ve left, and I’m losing my patience. Call. Me. Back.” She pounded on the screen and dropped the phone onto the desk.
“I’m gonna kill that little prick,” she muttered through clenched teeth.
If he thought for one second he could ghost her and she’d let it go, he’d get a rude awakening.
It would be a harsh and memorable lesson for Cord.
She’d track him down, one way or another.
This time she’d show no mercy. She clenched her fists and bobbed her leg against the bottom of her desk.
Did he really think she’d just give up and go away if he didn’t return her calls?
Apparently. Nothing infuriated her more than a liar.
She took deep, even breaths trying to level her anger.
And stress. Along with this disastrous clusterfuck, she’d been fielding requests from the bride-from-hell.
Roxanne rested her elbows on her desk, head in hand, glancing around the office.
To appeal to her range of clientele, she’d decorated it with a neutral, yet elegant flair.
Her newest piece of décor hung behind the door.
It was a purposeful move. Her auction win might be better suited for her apartment, but she wasn’t there enough to enjoy it.
She spent the majority of her time in the office.
Her brother, Bogs, even joked about making one of the spare offices a bedroom.
It wasn’t such a far-fetched idea. Though she knew she’d receive pushback from her family.
As it stood, they all agreed she worked too much.
Her tension eased slightly when she locked eyes on the wood plaque. She’d spent hours inspecting the intricate detail. It was beautiful. It should’ve been on display for everyone to enjoy. But Roxanne was being selfish. It felt like she had a small piece of Jonah all to herself.
She had other reasons too. Red flags would fly if her brothers saw the piece and found out about her very generous bid. The last thing she needed was them catching wind of her infatuation with Jonah. Bogs would never let me live it down.
She sat back, clasping her hands over her stomach, eyeing the art.
It was in the shape of their home state of Texas.
All the edges and curves fitting perfectly, every last detail, which must have taken quite some time.
The etched border must’ve taken hours. The shiny gloss of the wood gleamed against the overhead light.
Toward the bottom was a knotted, darkened circle, where Houston would be on a map.
It was perfect.
This was giving off stalker vibes. How pathetic she was, dropping a few grand for a piece of art by a man she barely knew.
Roxanne swiveled in her chair, keeping her eyes locked on the piece, remembering the last time she’d actually been in his presence.
It was at her father’s house for their annual family barbecue.
Their family consisted of her father, brothers, her and all their friends.
To the Garrisons, blood didn’t define family.
They had one every year, but it was the first time Jonah had shown up.
Aside from her initial greeting, she hadn’t really spoken to him.
It didn’t stop her from staring at him throughout the night.
A few times when she’d looked his way, she'd found his eyes on her. It gave her false hope.
Still, she silently obsessed. From what little she knew, the man was perfection.
She could see how talented he was from his work alone—he was hardworking and successful.
Self-made was how Ethan described him. All her brothers respected him, which said a lot about his character.
According to Kenzie, he was very sweet and kind.
I’ll have to take her word on that. Though it couldn’t be seen when hanging, he etched his signature into the back along with his logo.
Jonah McMillian.
He wasn’t her usual type. Roxanne had a decent amount of experience with dating, but none of them were like Jonah.
They were good-looking, successful in the corporate world, drove sports cars and vacationed at exotic destinations.
Even with those impressive accolades, none measured up to Jonah.
He was incredibly sexy and owned a construction company.
If she had to guess, he was well over six-two and all muscle.
Dirty blond hair that was too long on top, but he worked the tousled look with no effort.
Tatted arms, one full sleeve on his left.
She’d never gotten close enough to see the design, but she wanted to.
Tattoos had never appealed much to her. Until him.
Rugged, masculine and handsome. Was there a better combination?
She crossed her legs, ignoring the heat spreading to her core.
She needed to spend less time thinking about him.
But she couldn’t shake the image of his green eyes, especially when they were on her.
Of course, when she’d caught him looking at her and returned his attention, he’d glanced away, squaring his jaw.
He was beyond difficult to read.
“Guys suck,” she muttered.
“Yes, they do.”
Roxanne jumped in her seat and grabbed her chest, trying to regain control of her erratic heartbeat. Between the accident and her ongoing stress, the last thing she needed was a jump scare.
Her sister-in-law, Cassie, was leaning against the door with a huge grin. Thankfully, the woman had a calming presence. Roxanne straightened in her seat, scowling at her business partner.
“You scared the hell outta me, Cass.”
“I’ve been calling your name for the last minute.” She strolled in and sat in front of Roxanne’s desk, draping her hands across her flat belly. Her body looked as if she hadn’t given birth a few months ago. Lucky bitch!
“Sorry, I didn’t hear you.”
“So listen, we’re having everyone over on Friday. Keeping it real simple. Just beers and steaks. Are you available?”
Roxanne cocked her head, scoffing. “I’m always available.”
It was a sad truth. Aside from work, she had little social life to speak of. She had a few local friends. But she was closest to her brother’s wives. Since they spent most of their time with her brothers, it’d been ages since she’d gone out with just the girls. I miss it.
“Not true. Three weeks ago, I asked you over for dinner, and you had a date, remember? How was it?”
There was a reason she hadn’t mentioned it. When did dating become such a chore? When did men become such douchebags?
“Ugh.” Roxanne shook her head, her body following suit. “Not my type. Turns out Todd’s favorite topic is himself.” Self-absorbed, and braggadocios with poor table manners. I can see your plate. I know what you ordered. Close your goddamn mouth while you chew.
“No other prospects?” Cassie asked with a bit too much enthusiasm.
“Like who?”
Cassie’s eyes glimmered, and she playfully shrugged.
I should’ve kept my mouth shut. She and the rest of the girls knew about her obsession with Jonah, but had the decency not to bring it up.
Well, except for Emory, who seemed hell-bent on teasing her every possible second.
If Emory kept it up, she’d be shopping for a new best friend.
Her auction bid didn’t help matters. She’d brought it up a few times, but Roxanne swiftly changed the subject. Just like I’m about to do now.
“What can I bring?”
Cassie stood, rounding the chair. “Whatever … chips or beer. You’re more than welcome to bring a date too. Maybe Jonah’s free.”
Roxanne glared at her. Cassie laughed as she backed out of the room, pointing to the wall behind the door. “I see you found a spot for his auction piece.”
Shit!
“Get out before I decide to gift my niece all the equipment she’d need to start a band.” Roxanne twisted her lips and grinned. “And I’ll buy a drum set first.”
“Okay, I’ll stop.” Cassie paused. “Can I just ask you one more thing?”
Roxanne sighed. She knew what was coming, and she didn’t want to hear it for the hundredth time. It would be the same thing all the Garrison women were saying over the past few months.
“No, you can’t.”
Her bottom lip fell open. “But…”
“Cass,” she raised her hand to halt any further discussion, “you ever think maybe I enjoy having time to myself? Maybe I like not answering to someone about what I’m doing or where I’m going?
” She scanned the room. “Or hearing about how our business is more important to me than finding a husband? I mean, I’m an independent, self-made woman who doesn’t have the time to chase after a man. ”
“Rox, I was just going to ask if you’d bring salsa and guac from Cantina’s on your way to my house.”
Oh. Well, that was a wasted speech.
“I wasn’t thinking about guys.” Cassie turned and strolled away with a few parting words. “I’ll say this, though I’d deny it in front of my husband. If I’d never met T, I might be inclined to chase that man.”
No way. Roxanne wouldn’t entertain the topic of Jonah, let alone feed into it. “I don’t know who you’re talking about.”
Cassie glanced over her shoulder, and Roxanne clenched her jaw, seeing the humor on her sister-in-law’s face. “Yes, you do.” She winked and disappeared through the doorway.
Roxanne glanced at the art before darting her gaze across the room. She had to stop thinking about him. What was the point? There is, was, and never will be anything between them. Chasing any man was off the table. Besides, what were the chances they’d randomly bump into each other?
Zero.
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